The Smyth Family of Swallowfield, 16th Century England
It is at this point in the history of Swallowfield that the Smyth family name enters the scene. Richard Smyth of Swallowfield was identified in the records of the time as the Yeoman of the Robes to Elizabeth of York, wife of King Henry VII. With her attainment of the Swallowfield estate, Richard is elevated to a new title and additional responsibilities. He is named “Yeoman of the Robes” and “Parker and Paler of the Manor of Swallowfield.” In modern parlance: he was responsible for the Queen’s wardrobe and he was bailiff for the buildings and surrounding forest of Swallowfield. Being responsible for the forest was no small task. Kings and Queens cherished their royal parks and forests. Robbers and thieves sought refuge in the maze of woodlands. Squatters risked life and limb trying to eke out a survival living off the land. When King Edward VI moved against public use of forest lands, men like Richard Smyth assumed greater risk in the performance of their jobs.
In 1487 Richard received a commendation and a grant that loosely reads:
“in consideration of the true and faithful service which our well-beloved Richard Smythe, Yeoman of the Robes with our dearest wife, the Queen, hath done unto us, and during his life intends to do, of the herbage and pannage of the park of Wedgenock (County Warwick), during the minority of Edward, Earl of Warwick, to his own proper use, without therefore paying anything to the King.”
As the man responsible for the Queen’s fashions, Richard insured that she was always dressed in the finest of garments and dazzled the King and his Court, as well as the general public whenever she made a grand or less than grand appearance. The ledgers recorded Richard’s purchases and identify the Queen’s taste in fabric. The lady was kept in the finest threads. There are numerous silks and satins bought by Smythe “for the use of the lady, the Queene,” and a variety of other items that are enumerated in olde English and require a Shakespearean Scholar to decipher. As an example, Richard purchased “tymbres of whole ermyns,” “pane of ermyns,” and “purfylle of ermyns” and the same of “large and small maneuver” as well as “menever leteux.” It gets better and even more puzzling. He buys “furrures of bise,” and “sables and martrons,” “skins of bogy” and “panes of boge” as well as “furrure of shanks of bogy” as well as “pampliones of bogy.” The guy was buying fur including ermine and martin. A bogy is defined as lambskin with the wool dressed outwards.
In June of 1502 the expenses of the Queen include payments to Richard Smyth in “reward for bringing a fawne from the parke of Swallowfield to the Queen at Richemount” and on the 6th of July “to the underkeepers of Swallowfield for the bringing of three bucks from Swallowfield and Windsor.” On September 28th in 1502 “Richard Smyth, Yeoman of Robes” is paid for land he purchased and a shirt he made “for the childe of her Grace (the Queen) at Reading.” Reading was a second manor house in the custody of the Queen.
This Richard Smyth comes off as a devout guy, dedicated to his church. In 1493 he belonged to a Guild founded by one Henry Kelsall, a clothier of Reading. The Guild, ‘the Brethren of the Mass of Jesus,’ made generous contributions to the church. Smyth laid out some serious coin from time to time for the care and maintenance of St. Lawrence Church in Reading. Again, church records reveal fine cloth garments and items laced with gold and silver. Smyth’s position as the Yeoman of the Queen’s Robes would certainly require that he be well versed in not only knowing fine threads and fashion, but also designing and tailoring the garments of her wardrobe. The guy knew his stuff and made a nice living.
Richard’s wife was also a generous soul and took a strong interest in the St. Lawrence church. She was at the forefront of a church celebration in which a tenor bell gifted by Kilsall was consecrated and put in place. She was also identified as the contributor of a canopy of “Crimson velvet embroidered with gold flowers and the Holy Lambe in the mydle.” She was the ‘Misses Smyth’ buried at St. Lawrence Church, Reading in 1522-3.
Queen Elizabeth of York, wife of King Henry VII, to whom Swallowfield was granted in 1486 died in 1503. A marriage that began as an arrangement made for political and financial reasons, ended in a long lasting, royal love affair. King Henry VII, not given to emotions during his reign, was devastated by his loss and was described as depressed and reclusive. It is believed he died of heartbreak a few years later in 1509. With his passing the power of the throne transferred to his son, Henry VIII and Swallowfield was granted by the new King Henry VIII to his first wife Catherine of Aragon ‘for life’. We all know the history of Henry the VIII and his many wives!
Richard Smythe, who had served as Bailiff in Swallowfield and Yeoman of the Queen’s Robes impressed the young Henry VIII. The King added another promotion to Smythe’s resume. Henry made Richard the Yeoman of the Robes to the King and Keeper of the Park at Swallowfield. He was also identified as the Bailiff, Paler and Collector of the Lordship. He was also named Steward of Caversham, and Customer and Collector of dues for weighing wools and fleeces in the town of Calais. In other words, Henry VIII showed him respect and tripled his workload, not an uncommon practice in the corporate world of today. Richard did not endure the workload for very long. He died in 1511. He was succeeded by his son Richard (Junior) as Yeoman of the King’s Robes and Bailiff of Swallowfield. Richard Jr also took dad’s place as a Burgess for the Borough of Reading.
Richard Jr married Mary, the daughter of John Bucklande of St. Lawrence. The son emulated his father’s benevolence in terms of contributions to the Church of St. Lawrence. Church records enumerate several pricey items including two illustrated books gilded in silver weighing five pounds each and two basins of pure silver weighing three pounds. In terms of vestments for the priest and assistants, young Smythe updated the entire wardrobe for the year with the finest of fabrics: black velvet, satin and red damask. Richard Smythe was the last Roman Catholic who was placed in possession at Swallowfield. The next bailiff, appointed in 1522, was a Protestant whose job it was to dispose of the all church properties in Swallowfield.
